Gilbeet young



2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

(No Model.)

G. YOUNG.

AUTOMATIC OUT-OFF FOR GAS PRESSURE REGULATORS.

Patented July 19 3% (ease s;

N. PETERS. Fhnlcrliihbgnphor. \lllnkingtm v 9.1:.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. YOUNG.

AUTOMATIC GUT-OFF FOR GAS PRESSURE REGULATORS.

Patented July 19, 1887.

AL I N. PETERS. Pnnlo-bllmgmpher. Washington. 0,1;

UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GILBERT YOUNG, OF XVORTHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CABOT BROTHERS, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF FOR GAS-PRESSURE REGULATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,708, dated July 19, 1887.

Application filed May 5, 1887. Serial No. 237,194. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: mined point, or when the supply of gas, from Be it known that l, GILBERT YOUNG, a citiwhatever cause, fails entirely, this mechanism zen of the United States, residing at \Vorthoperates to shut off the supply. ington, in the county of Armstrong and State It will be understood that my improvement 55 5 of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new is not limited for use in connection with sysand useful Improvements in Automatic Cuttems fed from natural wells, but may be used Offs for Gas-Pressure Regulators; and I do with the same advantage whatever he the declare the following to be a full, clear, and source of gas. exact description of the invention, such as will In the annexed drawings, which form apart 60 enable others skilled in the art to which it ofthisspecificati-on,myinventionisillustrated appertains to make and use the same, reference as applied to the gas pressu re regulator patbeing had to the accompanying drawings, and entcd to S. Cabot, Jr., April 14, 1885, No. to the letters and figures of reference marked 315,717; butit may be used in connection with thereon, which form a part of this specifica any other apparatus of the same kind. 6 tion. Figure 1 represents a plan view of a gas- XVhen gas is procured from natural wells it pressure regulator with my improved cut-off is often found to be under such high and vaapplied thereto; Figs. 2 and 3, sectional eleriable pressure that its immediate eonsumpvations of the same; Fig. 4., a sectional elevation is either inconvenient or dangerous, or tion of a modification; Fig. 5, a perspective 70 both. It has therefore been found necessary view of a detail of construction, and Fig. (i

to employ devices interposed between the a like view of amoditication thereof. source of gas and the point of consumption The general mode of operation of the gasfor reducing the gas pressure continuously pressure regulator is fully described in the and automatically to the desired degree. aforesaid Letters Patent No.3l5,7l7, and need 7 2 Thesedevices, known as "gas-pressureregulanot here be described at length. It is sufiitors, ordinarily operate to cause the gas, when cient to know that the gas enters the apparatus under pressure which is higher than the standat d and passes by the pipes c c and by the ard required in the distributing system, to outlet 9 to the distributing system. The

partially close the outlet-valve to the distribchannel It communicates with the pipe 0 and So uting system, and when the pressure sinks with the inclosed chambers, which in turn is below this standard to open the said valve in free communication with the bell a, which wider. It thus happens that when the supply rises and falls in the fluid seal 1). An increase of gas fails entirely the oulet-valve is wide of pressure withinthc suitably-weighted bell open, and the burners at which the gas is conraises the latter and causes the same to par- 8 5 sumed should then be closed in order that the tially close the regulating-valve f, while ungas, when it commences to flow again, may der a decrease of pressure the bell sinks and not escape into the locality where it is used, the opening of valve f is widened. \Vhen the whereby explosions and consequent loss of supply of gas fails entirely the bell descends property and life may be caused. It is, howto its lowest point, and valve 1' is quite open, 0 o ever, clear that gas-burners cannot always be and upon rc-establishment of the flow of gas watched, and as arule they remain open when the same escapes at the open burners in the the gas-supply fails, and numerous calamities distributing system. occur from this cause. I provide a cut-off valve, A, located at any Now, it is the object of my invention to suitable point in pipe 0 or c. The spindle A 5 5 provide a means for obviating this defect of of said valve projects horizontally, and to its gas -pressure regulators; and my invention outer end is fixed a long arm or lever, B, proconsists, broadly, in automatic mechanism vided with a suitable weight, \V. The latter which may be applied to any ordinary gasmay be omitted if the arm itself is sufficiently pressure regulator that works by the rise and heavy. The arrangement is such that when mo fall of a float, cap, or cover, and whenever the the cutoff valveis open lever B is in its raised gaspressure falls below a certain predeterposition, as shown in Fig.2; but when lever B is in its lower position, as indicated in Fig. 3, the cut-01f valve will be closed."

0 designates a prop or support for lever B. It consists of a rod loosely pivoted to lever B, so as to be able to swing like a pendulum about its horizontal axis D, which passes through the two branches E E of its forked end and.

through the lever B. The free end of prop O is widened and thickened. It is cam-shaped in two directions, as is clearly shown in the drawings. One cam is out upon a concave curve, at, which proceeds from the side of the prop some little distance above its/end, and widens out toward and terminates at a short distance above the end. At this point the cam becomes thicker and protruding on bothprop will swing peudulously into a verticalposition, with its knife-edge just above the top and close to the edge of the apparatus or any other fixed part of the same. The lever being then gently allowed to descend, the knife-edge of'the prop, coming against the top of the case, will arrest the further descent of the lever, which is thus supported in an elevated position, whereby the cut-off valve A is held open. If, now, by a decrease of gas-pressure the bell descends, the bracket will move downward with the same without perceptible frictional contact with the body of the prop; but as the descent of the bell continues the inner end, H, of the slot, facing the edgeof the prop, will engage the concave cam-face 00, and will gently force the knife-edgez toward and over the edge of the apparatus. By this time the gaspressure will be so low that the cut-off valve A should be closed, and this result follows immediately as soon as theknife-edge has passed the edge of the case. The weighted lever B is now without support, and must fall into the position indicated in Fig. 3, and, being secured to the spindle or core of valve or cook A, it will turn the same around, so as to close said valve or cock.

The'utilityof the convex cam-face y will now be apparent. the prop from the case as soon as the knifeedge has passed the same, serving as an inclined plane, which, while it does not prevent the descent of lever B, renders the same somewhat less violent. Arriving near its lowest position, the end of lever B encounters a boss, K, which is held up by a spring, S, and is mounted in a suitable casting, 'L, or in any other suitable support, the object being to prevent the straining of the cut-off cock by the check of the falling weight. The gas is now shut off" from the distributing system, and when the supply through pipe e is re-es- 'ward movement of the prop.

Its function is to deflect tablishedthe cutoff valve should be opened; but before this is done the burners in the distributing system are turned off, or they may have been turned off right after the automatic closure of the cut-off valve. In

either case no gas can escape, and dangers heretofore experienced from this cause are avoided. To again open the cut off valve, it is only necessary to raise lever B to its upper position, as above explained. In doing this, thebell being then in its lowest position, cam a: of prop G" will engage the end of slot G, whereby the prop will be deflected, with its knife;edge beyond the edge of the case of the apparatus. In this operation the ledges u a of cam y will limit the upward movement of the lever by coming in contact with the lowerface of bracket F, through the slot G of which cam y cannot pass. In this position valve A is open, and knife-edge of cam y is above and beyond the edgeof the case, the bell being in its lowestposition. The lever is held in this position until the influx of gas sufficiently raises the bell to carry the bracket F abovecam as, when prop G will swing pendulously into vertical position with the knife-edge overhanging the edge of the case. The lever is then lowered until its downward movement i arrested by the knife-edge coming in c tact with the top of the case. If it is desired to inclose the whole apparatus, including lever B, in a cover, B, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the resetting of the cut off may be accomplished by a cord or wire, T, which passes through the top of the cover to the place from whence it is to be operated.

In Fig; 4 I have shown a modification,which in some cases is ofspecial advantage. In this form there is a small anti-friction roller, U, jourualed in slot G, which roller thus constitutes the end of the slot.- A similar roller, V, is provided at the lower end of cam y and takes the place of the knife-edge. With this arrangement it becomes necessary to provide a special place upon the top of the case for the roller V to rest upon. In the drawings I have shown a platform, N, cut into the top of the case and slightly inclining inwardly. It terminates at a shoulder, O,which'arf'ests the in- By this arrangement the action of the cutoff is some what facilitated.

In some instances'it is objectionable to have the lever B project beyond the case of the apparatus, and in suchv cases I cut the lever off at a point, P, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,) close to the point where the prop is pivoted to the same. The weight W is then secured to the lower end of the prop, as shown in Fig. 6, said weight serving also as a stop for the upward movement of the prop in the same manner as the ledges u u in the "construction shown in Fig. 5. The convex cam-face y is here omitted, and the foot of the prop projects beyond the weight to rest upon the upper sur- IICl face and close to the edge of the casing. For

the concave cam-face a simple inclin ed plane, at,

may be substituted. If this construction is employed, the spring-supported boss K is arranged in position to receive the blow of the weight, as will be easily understood. In connection with this form of prop the anti-friction rollers U and V may also be used-the one U being inserted into slot G and the other,V,being placed under the projecting portion of the foot of the prop.

Having now fully described my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction shown, since the same may be widely varied without departing from the fundamental idea of the same. Thus, for instance, it is not necessary that the gas-regulator should be of the type described in this ease,as my improvement may be equally well applied to gas-regulators which do not work by the rise and fall of an inverted vessel or hell, but by the oscillatory movementofany other structural element. The term bell, which I use in this specification, is here used in the most generic sense, indi cating that part of a gas-pressure regulator which rises and falls or which oscillates during the regulating operation of the apparatus.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

the rise and fall ofabell, the combination, with a cutoff valve anda weighted lever for actuating the same, ofaprop for holding the lever in an elevated position and aprojection from the bell for removing the prop and allowing the lever to actuate the valve, substantially as described.

4. In a gas-pressure regulator operating by the rise and fall of a bell, the combination, with a cut-off valve, a weighted leverfor actuating said valve, and a prop for holding said lever out of action, of a cam upon said prop projecting into the path of a bracket upon the descending bell, whereby the lever is released and the valve closed when the bell arrives at its lowest point, substantially as described.

5. In a gas-pressure regulator operating by the rise and fall of a bell, the combination, with a cut-off valve, a weighted lever for actuating the same, a pendnlous prop pivoted to the lever, and a cam near the lower end of the prop, of a slotted bracket projecting from the bell for engagement with the cam, whereby the lever is released and the valve closed when the bell arrives near its lowest point, substantially as described.

6. In a gas-pressure regulator operating by the rise and fall of a bell, the combination,

- with a cut-off valve, a weighted lever for actuating the valve, and a pendnlous prop for holding the lever out of action, of a bracket projecting from the bell, having a slot for receiving the prop, and a cam projecting from the lower part of the prop into the path of the bracket, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I a'lfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GILBERT YOUNG. Witnesses:

MAY SMITH, J. D. DAUGHERTY. 

